Chabad Makes Inroads at Parley

Before Eliezer Zalmanov came to Munster, Ind., no Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi had ever been the recipient of the local Jewish federation’s rabbinic award.

There was a Chabad rabbi before Zalmanov. However, Zalmanov, 26, said that when he moved to Munster two years ago, the rest of the community still had suspicions about his ultra-Orthodox Hasidic movement. “They thought I was out to convert everyone to Chabad,” he said.

Zalmanov worked hard to disabuse the people of such notions, cooperating with the city’s four other congregations and enlisting his wife as a Hebrew school teacher at the local Conservative synagogue. He received a stamp of approval this year with the federation’s rabbinic reward.

French riots are not a ‘Jewish problem’

PARIS — Some media are calling it a “suburban intifada,” but the rioting that is rocking France is a national problem, not a Jewish one.

That appears to be the consensus of French Jews, who are simultaneously alarmed at the widespread violence – mostly of Muslim youths – in suburbs around the country and relieved that Jews have not been directly targeted, as they were at the height of the Palestinian intifada.

“Anti-Semitism in these neighbourhoods has drastically declined over the last six months or so,” said Sammy Ghozlan, who heads the Office of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism. He is also the president of the Council of Jewish Communities of Seine St-Denis, the Paris suburb where much of the violence, which began at the end of October, has taken place.

The Rebbe Meets The Academy

“Reaching for the Infinite: The Lubavitcher Rebbe – Life, Teachings and Impact” was more apt a title for the conference which took place this week at New York University than even its organizers may have realized.

Trying to convey the impact of the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in two dozen or so 20-minute long academic presentations, which were delivered at the conference held Sunday through Tuesday at NYU’s student center on Washington Square, was a little like reaching for the infinite with arms only inches long.

This was the first-ever academic conference devoted to the life and work of Rabbi Schneerson, who led the Chabad movement from 1951 until his death in 1994, and helped it grow into the largest Jewish outreach network in the world. Held under NYU’s auspices, the meeting was funded by Chabad supporters George and Pamela Rohr, and Craig and Deborah Cogut, and attended by up to 150 people at a time, ranging from Lubavitch chasidim to Reform rabbinical students.

Chabad’s Largest Chanuka Event Ever

After weeks of painstaking negotiations between 101 Chabad Shluchim in Florida and the ‘Universal Orlando Resort’ management, the Chabad of Florida is glad to announce the oncoming ‘Universal Chanuka’, a historical novelty of Chabad Chanuka events. The happening is slated for the first weekend of Chanuka and anticipates a grand show up of crowds who just wouldn’t remain indifferent to the impressive advertisements.

Participants will enjoy Gad Elbaz and Yehudah Glanz’s performances, rides, attractions and beautiful parks and an amazing island of adventure. A Shabbaton retreat will include inspirational speakers, celebrated cantors, delicious gourmet meals a program for kids and more. Sunday of that week will be the last day of this planned event and at 6 o’clock that evening a grand public Chanuka Candle Lighting ceremony on a 18 foot high Menorah at Universal City walk’s central stage.

Talk on Kabbalah draws the faithful, the curious

A sellout crowd of 115 hears about practical uses in modern life.

A lecture about Kabbalah, the ancient form of Jewish mysticism, drew an overflow crowd to the Chabad Jewish Center on Monday.

Among them were longtime Kabbalah students, as well as the merely curious, people who wanted to learn more about the movement that has gained a controversial footing in pop culture.

“The Kabbalah movement is not necessarily one that is discussed or talked about in the Jewish religion, but with all the press it has been getting… I was just curious. I really wanted to find out about this segment of Judaism, which I knew little about,” said Barry M. Alpert, a member of Temple B’nai Israel in Clearwater.

Jewish scholar is in city to discuss book on Tanya

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has written 60 books, established schools in Israel and the former Soviet Union, received the Israel Prize — that nation’s highest honor — and been called by Time magazine a “once-in-a-millennium scholar.”

His last name most often is followed by “Edition of the Talmud,” his monumental project of translating and reinterpreting that collection of early authoritative writings that form the basis of Judaism. He has written about Kabbalah (“The Thirteen Petalled Rose”), zoology and theology.

He also is leader of Israel’s recently reconstituted Sanhedrin, or Jewish legal tribunal, only the second of its kind in the past 1,600 years.

UPDATE: Bandits rob Brooklyn post office

Three armed bandits stormed into a Crown Heights post office just before dawn Tuesday, forcing workers to the ground, then running off with at least several thousand dollars, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

As the suspects fled the James E. Davis Post Office, they slammed an incoming employee to the ground, but she suffered only a minor shoulder injury, officials said. The facility, closed Tuesday as officials investigated the crime scene, is scheduled to be open Wednesday.

The 5:40 a.m. robbery comes nearly a year after the Foch Boulevard post office in South Ozone Park was robbed.

Australian Millionaire Visits ‘Campus Chamesh

The Jewish Australian millionaire, Reb Nosson Werdiger, visited the Campus Chamesh Beis Rivkah Complex last week in Crown Heights. The philanthropist of Melbourne is considered one of the richest Australians and he his known to support Chabad institutes in Melbourne and in other locations. Werdiger and his wife, who participated in the festive dinner of Campus Chamesh in the Hilton Hotel were greatly impressed with the wide array of guests and resolved to visit the place. “You are very privileged to get your education at Beis Rivkah”, he told the girls in his address.

The Werdigers were greeted by Rabbi Avrohom Shemtov, chairman of the executive committee of Aguach and administrators of Beis Rivkah, Rabbi Lime Minkowitz and Rabbi Benji Stock and were deeply impressed with the comprehensive efforts exerted by the dedicated staff. The visitors were was happy to recognize teachers who had formerly been on a shlichus mission to Melbourne and would be regular visitors at their home. At a shared meal, a suggestion was made to dedicate a section of the campus in the name of their parents, the renowned shliach, Rabbi Zalman Serebransky, a”h, one of the founders of Chabad in Australia. On their return route, the couple was hosted by their friend, U.S. ambassador to Italy who arranged an official reception for them in the embassy, which was also attended by Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy.

Swastikas Painted At Jewish Cemetery

BRISTOL, Conn. — Police are looking for the vandal or vandals who sprayed swastikas on headstones at a Jewish cemetery.

Police say the swastikas were discovered on three surfaces at the cemetery on Lake Avenue. Now they’re hoping someone will know who is responsible.

Even after efforts to clean one grave marker the image of a crudely drawn swastika remains.

Bristol police say they believe someone came to the small cemetery late Saturday night and left behind the graffiti.

Israel to ask U.S. Jewish communities to fund its foreign aid projects

Israel is trying to persuade Jewish federations and communities in the United States to finance Israeli aid programs in foreign countries, Haaretz has learned.

The first initiative of this sort was to be presented Tuesday at the United Jewish Communities (UJC) General Assembly taking place in Toronto.

Israel’s Consul General in New York, Arye Mekel, will propose to the UJC that it become an active partner in the Foreign Ministry’s projects in developing and poor countries.

From New Orleans to New Jersey:
A Torah Is Welcomed

As Eric Sion prepared to read from the Torah at his bar mitzvah, he could not have imagined that he would be reading from the last surviving scroll of a historic synagogue devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Before Katrina was even a freakish up swell of moisture somewhere out in the Atlantic, when mention of New Orleans conjured up Mardi Gras madness instead of shocking Superdome heartbreak, an act of kindness and Jewish unity occurred that brought a lone Torah scroll’s survival, a symbol of hope where all else has been lost.

Chabad education center helps Jews break new ground

Ceremony marks community growth in Rockaway Twp.

All day on Sunday, Rabbi Asher Herson could not appear to sit still for even a moment.

The 42-year-old rabbi of the Chabad Center of Northwest New Jersey held hands with young children and danced around in circles to Jewish music. He shook hands with other men who gathered with him. He poured them drinks. He made his way through the crowd, stopping to say hello along the way to nearly everyone he saw.

“He’s very dynamic. He’s in constant motion,”said Alan Bader, a Rockaway Township resident and synagogue member.

Didan Notzach For Lubavitcher Owners Of Bungalows @ Mountain Lodge Estates

Some 64 Lubavitcher owners of summer bungalows @ Mountain Lodge Estates in Monticello, NY are breathing a sigh of relief after the village of Monticello unanimously passed a law banning and future expansion of the nearby landfill at a meeting on Monday night. In a show of force, 50 plus Lubavitchers made the 2 hour trip to attend the meeting.

In an exclusive interview with SNS contributing reporter Zalman Chein, who is also a member of the board and a bungalow owner, Chein said: “We won a major battle, but we didn’t win the war.” Chein singled out Effie Steigman and Anshil Dalfin for their efforts in ensuring the positive outcome.

Matisyahu on a Musical Mission

It’s rather easy to assert that being an atypical artist is nothing more than being a novelty —- a gimmick; something you take note of once, don’t quite understand, so return to the familiar. Taking the unusual and turning it into the standard is complicated, sometimes bordering on impossible.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that when Jimmy Kimmel invited Matisyahu on his program last year, the talk show host sought humour by having this religious Jewish man perform a combination of beat-box and reggae music.

And it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Matisyahu expected to be scoffed at.